Eye Accessing Cues

How to recognise representational system easily

There is a certain model in NLP that allows to recognise currently used rep system of your interlocutor. It's based on eye ball movements and maybe you have already heard about it because it exists for so long and is usually used as a starting point at many of the trainings.

In a moment you will find out how to use it appropriately.

Eye movements - basic generalisation

Based on observations, the founders of NLP noticed that you can distinguish 6 eye positions. In each one of them we get access to a different rep system.

Below I present those position from the observer's perspective.

1. Visual Remembered

Visual Remembered

A person that is looking in that way is using the visual system to remind pictures from the past

2. Visual Constructed

Visual Constructed

In that position new pictures and images are being constructed.

The above two positions are from time to time incorrectly used to recognise so called liars. Be careful with that!

The fact that someone is constructing pictures doesn't mean that he is lying.

3. Auditory Remembered

Auditory Remembered

Reminding voices and sounds from the past.

4. Auditory Constructed

Auditory Constructed

Creating new melodies and sounds.

5. Kinesthetic

Kinesthetic

In that position we get access to feelings and emotions, we align with our inner experiences that come from our bodies.

6. Internal dialogue

Internal Dialogue

A person looking that way is having inner conversations with itself.

Exclusions

Of course there are differences among people. Some people (like the left-handed) show the opposite correlations and to some other people we can't apply that at all. It is vital to know how appropriately use the patterns of eye ball movements.

Appropriate usage

Before you jump into conclusions about your interlocutor's rep system do the calibration.

To do that, simply ask about something that will immediately cause the access to a specific rep system. For instance ask a person to remind something (picture or a sound) or to construct. Observe if those or other patterns are present or not.

If one of the positions occur more frequently than others it may imply the dominating rep system of a person. Check if it matches the characteristic word predicates and then start using that system so you can get along.

Isn't something missing here?

Now you know how to interpret a situation when someone is looking up, down, to the right or left, but you can think what happens when the eyes are pointed straight forward, like this:

Straight look

I've met may different opinions about that so as not to add more confusion I recommend you two options:

- you can simply ignore all the ambiguous positions

- you can calibrate to find out if that positions really means something for that person

You can also check how is it in your case but be careful, because knowing how it should look like, you can influence yourself and make the test harder. It is best to experiment with your friends who don't know about those rules.

Exercise

Watch carefully people that you communicate with. Try to find out mentioned above correlations or others that may occur. Don't treat is as an absolute truth, don't judge too fast, verify that model in your everyday life. I hope it will turn out to be useful.